Nigcomsat-1 Program
On December 15, 2004, Nigeria's National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) signed a contract in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, for the in-orbit delivery of a DFH-4 communications satellite. The satellite was to be named NigComSat-1.
On May 14, 2007, NigComSat-1 was successfully launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) aboard a Long March 3B launch vehicle. On July 6, 2007, CGWIC handed over the now safely orbiting NigComSat-1 satellite to Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd. (NigComSat Ltd.), along with a tracking station in Kashi, in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and one fully operational ground station in Abuja, Nigeria. A 15-year operational support service and a comprehensive training program have also been provided as part of the contract. NigComSat-1 was China's first commercial in-orbit delivery telecommunications satellite.
On November 11, 2008, NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array.
On March 24, 2009, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, NigComSat Ltd. and CGWIC signed a further contract for the in-orbit delivery of the NigComSat-1R satellite. NigComSat-1R is also a DFH-4 satellite, and is expected to be delivered in 2011 as a replacement for the failed NigComSat-1.
The NigComSat-1 is a commercial communications satellite developed by the China Academy of Space Technology for Nigeria's NASRDA and is equipped with 28 transponders in 4 frequency bands (C, L, Ku and Ka). In order to satisfy the complicated coverage area requirements, the satellite is fitted with a total of seven shaped communication antennae. The lift-off mass of the satellite is 5,086kg with an end-of-life power of over 8KW, and a design orbit life span of 15 years.
